An 85-year-old woman in rural Idaho is being hailed for her heroic actions after she was the victim of a brutal home invasion.
The Bingham County Sheriff’s Office said officers were called to the home on March 13 and found a man deceased from gunshot wounds and the elderly homeowner also injured.
The home invasion began at about 2 a.m. when 39-year-old Derek Ephriam Condon parked a mile away and then broke into the home through a window with a screwdriver, according to Bingham County Prosecutor Ryan Jolley. He was wearing a military jacket and a black ski mask.
Condon awakened Christine Jenneiahn by bashing her in the head with his gun. Police said they found blood on her pillow to substantiate the claim.
The man then dragged Jenneiahn to the living room and handcuffed her to a wooden chair. He demanded that she tell him where her valuables were located and grew angry when she said she didn’t have much. She said that he put his gun to her head at that point.
She told him that there were two safes downstairs, and Condon left her handcuffed to rummage around for the safes. That’s when he discovered that her disabled son was also in the home, and he grew angry that she hadn’t told him about the son.
When he left her again, Jenneiahn was able to drag her chair over to her pillow and retrieve a .357 Magnum revolver. She hid the gun and waited to see what Condon would do next.
Jolley said that Condon threatened to kill her while burglarizing the home, so, Jenneiahn decided to take a chance, and she shot at the man.
Condon was struck twice and was able to shoot back at the woman, striking her numerous times with a 9mm gun in the leg, arm, chest, and abdomen.
The man made his way to the kitchen, where he died of his wounds.
Jenneiahn was still handcuffed to the chair and remained on the floor for 10 hours before her son was able to bring her a phone so that she could call the police. She given life-saving treatment and taken to a hospital.
Jolley said that police found Condon’s car near the home with footprints leading to the house. They also found a set of lock picks on Condon’s body and a bag containing some of the woman’s possessions.
The incident was determined to be a “justifiable homicide” under Idaho criminal code, according to Jolley.
He called the case “one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation” he had ever seen.
“Her grit, determination, and will to live appear to be what saved her that night,” Jolley added. “Christine was justified in taking any and all means necessary to defend herself and her son that night.”
Here’s a news report about the incident:
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